Coin device for prepayment meters



A ril 2 1 I p 927 J. METTLER COIN DEVICE FOR PREPAYMENT METERS Filed Feb. 25. 1922 El v .1

Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

UNETEB STATES PATENT QFFICE.

Josnr METTLER, or ZUG, SWITZERLAND, ASSIGNOR To rate FIRM LANDIS & earn A. a,

or ZUG, SWITZERLAND.

COIN DEVICE FOR EREPAYMENT METERS.

Application filed February 25, 1922, Serial No. 539,331, and. in Switzerland February 18, 1921.

The invention relates to a coin device for prepayment meters in which a knob is provided with slots to receive the coin, whereby the latter falls out of the slot and into the coin till of the prepayment meter when the knob is displaced and turned.

The diagram illustrates an example of execution of the object of the invention Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation along the centre line of an example of execution.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevatlon.

Fig. 3 is a section along the line III-III.

Fig. 4 is a partially sectioned side view of the device.

Fig. 5 shows the operation of the device at the moment when the coin is in the slot and the knob is pressed inwards.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the device just before the coin drops from the coin slot.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the same, with a portion of the casing removed.

1 is a cylindrical case fitted with a flange 2. A knob 3 preferably pressed from some moulding material, forms a unit with the disc 4. This disc 4: carries a boss 5 in which is mounted a flat blade 6. This blade 6 slides in a slot in the end of the pressed case 1, and is held in position by the washer 7 and the curved pin 8. In the interior of the pressed case 1 is a spring 9 which acts against the end of the pressed case on the one hand and against the disc 4 on the other. This spiral spring 9 is extended at both ends. One end is bent away from the end of the case and passes through a hole drilled in a sliding catch 10 in the interior of the case and parallel to the axis formed by the boss 5 and the blade 6. The other end of the spring 9 is formed into a limb 9 which is bent away from the disc 4'. and passes out through a narrow slot 11 in the wall of the case, being then bent back on the outside of the case towards the flange 2.

In the wall of the case 1, and outside the flange 2, are two diametrically opposed slots 12, and also in said wall at a point spaced from the inner side of said flange is a slot 13. 1a is a coin slot which, as usual, has a contraction to prevent the coin from falling through if it is of the size and denomination for which the particular coin-slot is exeouted. 15 are openings in the disc i, one of which is in line with the catch 10 when the coin device is in its normal position. A chamfered face 10 on the catch works with the chamfered edge 15 of the opening 15. Near the openings 15, in the side of the disc 4 facing the catch 10, are recesses 16, in whose path lies the catch 10 as the disc is turned. 1 2

On the side facing the pressed case, the disc at carries a flange 17 In this flange are out two diametrically opposed notches each of which has two sloping faces 18 and 19, and a stop shoulder 20 at right-angles to the face 21 of the flange 17.

The coin receiving device is fixed to the case of the prepayment apparatus by means of the flange 2, so that the case 1 projects into the case of the prepayment apparatus. In the normal position the spring 9 forces the handle 3 away from the case 1 to its furthest extent, and in this position the washer 7 presses against the end of the case and the fiat blade 6 lies in the opening in the case end, thus making it impossible to turn the knob 3.

In this position the coin slot 14 lies vertically in line with the slots 12, and the wall of the case 1 projects slightly into a circular groove in the knob 3.

Should now the knob be pressed into the case 1 without the insertion of a coin in the coin-slot, then the catch 10 enters the upper opening 15 in the disc 4, thus preventing rotation of the handle. If, on the other hand. the correct coin be inserted in the coil-slot and the handle 3 be pressed into the case 1 and turned, the coin will press back the catch 10 until the chamfered faces 10 and 15 engage (Fig. 5).

On the boss 5 is turned a short shoulder 23 and at this point a gap 24 is left on either side of the flat blade 6. WVhen, therefore, the knob 3 is pressed into the case 1, the shoulder 23 enters the circular opening 25 in the end of the case and the gaps 2st, in conjunction with the chamfered faces 10 and 15', permit the knob 3 to be turned to the right, the faces 10 and 15 sliding over one another and the catch 10 being pressed back against the spring.

Then the knob 3 is pressed into the case 1, the end of the spring 9 projecting through the slot 11 in the side of the case is forced back towards the back of the case by the flange 17. When the knob has made a little more than a quarter-turn the coin commences to roll out of the coin slot, and would fall out of the device by the slot 13, were it not prevented by the stop 26. This stop 26 may either be rigidly attached to the flange 2, or it may be formed by one of the screws or rivets serving to the coin device to the case of the prepayment apparatus. The stop 26 only permits the coin to partially emerge from the device and, as the handle is turned further, the part of the coin protruding from the case 1 comes under the projecting end 9 of the spring. The end 9 of the spring now comes up against the sloping side of one of the notches in the flange 17 and is -forced by the pressure of the spring against the face of the coin, the coin being thus held in the coin slot (Fig. 6).

As the knob 3 is turned still further the sloping side 19 lifts the end 9 of the spring away from the coin and, when the knob has made almost a complete half-turn, the coin is free to drop out of the coin device.

If the device be tampered with and the coin thereby prevented from rolling, then the end 9 of the spring will find no support against the coin and will therefore move on until it reaches the end of the sloping face 18. Here it will be arrested by the stop shoulder 20 and will prevent the knob 3 from being turned further and, as a result, the switch mechanism in the prepayment apparatus will not be operated.

When the end 9 is arrested by the coin, the stop shoulder 20 is cleared by said end of the spring and the pointed end of the catch 10 springs into one of the recesses 16 before the end 9 of the spring reaches the face 19, thus preventing backward rotation of the knob 3L Vhen the knob 3 has made a complete half-turn and is released by the hand the spring 9 once more forces it out of the case 1 into its initial position. This is due to the fact that the gaps 24: of the blade 6 are again in front of those in the case 1, thus unlocking "the blade 6.

The switch mechanism in the prepayment apparatus operates after the moment when the knob 3 is locked against backward movement by the entry of the catch 10 into the rece'ss 16.

7 The locking device, formed by the catch :10, as described in the foregoing example of mamas execution could also be omitted. Instead of this locking device as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, a further locking edge 27 is provided in the flange 17, this locking edge having one face inclined in the opposite direction to that of the edge 20. The end 9 of the spring engaging the coin indicates that the coin has not been retained by some fraudulent manipulations in the coin chute, and hence the surface 20 does not engage the end 9 of the spring, permitting thereby rotation of the knob 3 to operative position of the automatic vending machine. The stopping pawl 27 prevents return rotation of the knob 3 after the automatic device has been moved to operative position. It is thus possible to turn forward the knob 3 after having pressed same into the case, even when there is no coin in the coin slot, but this can only be done until the end 9 of the spring comes into communication with the stop shoulder 20, that is to say, the locking of the knob 3 is effected before the switch mechanism of the prepayment meter has come into action.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention, and the manner in which same is to be performed, that what I claim is In a coin device for prepayment meters, a casing 1, having a coin receiving slot 12 and a discharge slot 13, a knob mounted for turning movement and also for movement toward and from the casing, and having a coin slot 14: and also an element 4 arranged in the casing and having a peripheral flange 17, a spring 9 normally projecting the knob from the casing and having a free end 9 arranged to bear against a coin in the slot, said flange having a pair of oppositely disposed notches 20 each having a shoulder 20 to engage said spring end in the absence of such coin and prevent rotation of the knob in such circumstances and also having converging sides, said flange being further provided with stop notches 27, "one near each of the notches 20, to receive said free spring end and coact therewith to prevent premature return rotation of the knob, and means to prevent turning of the knob when the same is in projected position.

In witness whereof I aflix my signature.

JOSEF METTLER. 

